Precious Strength: Maria Pergay Across the Decades is on show at New York gallery Demisch Danant (until 30 November)
For more than 50 years, the French designer Maria Pergay created playful yet elegant furniture that pushed the boundaries of style and convention. Now, one year after her death at the age of 93, New York gallery Demisch Danant is staging an exhibition celebrating her work: ‘Precious Strength: Maria Pergay Across the Decades’ (24 October to 30 November 2024).
Stainless steel furniture may have captivated the contemporary design world recently, but in many ways, Pergay is to thank: she was pioneering such pieces in the 1960s, long before metal became a top choice for experimental furniture designers. At the time, stainless steel was considered a wholly unusual, and even unsuitable, material for high-end interiors, associated far more with industrial applications and practical kitchenware. But Pergay turned to the affordable, resilient, silvery material to craft surprising works of furniture.